Darlington purchased its first six trolleybuses in 1926 as direct replacements for a similar number of electric tramcars. Like their predecessors, they were single-deckers because of restricted clearances under railway bridges. It would be a further 23 years before those clearances were sufficiently eased to enable six East Lancs-bodied BUT double-deck trolleybuses to enter the fleet, but they were too late to make any real impact. This fictional image depicts a Roe-bodied BUT of broadly similar appearance but with some distinctive Roe feature. Darlington replaced its entire trolleybus fleet with motor buses between 1951 and 1957. The double-deck trolleybuses were sold to Doncaster in 1952 and later passed to Bradford (12-Feb-23).
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Tags: BUT Roe Trolleybus Darlington Corporation Transport
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For most of its existence, Darlington’s Trolleybus system was operated by single-deck vehicles due to a low bridge on the Great North Road. When this restriction was eased in 1949, six East Lancs-bodied BUT double-decker trolleybuses were joined the fleet but were not destined to stay long. The system was progressively abandoned between 1951 and 1957 and the BUTs were sold to Doncaster in 1952. This fictional 30-foot BUT assumes that additional trolleybuses were acquired as part of a modernisation programme intended to prolong the life of the system; like the earlier vehicles, the bodywork is by East Lancashire Coachworks of Blackburn (updated 12-Feb-23).
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Tags: Darlington Corporation Transport trolleybus BUT Crossley
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Before switching to rear-engined single-deckers, Darlington Corporation was quite conservative in its fleet buying policy. It didn't buy any rear-engined double-deckers new but acquired some second-hand examples in its final days. However these weren't the first rear-engined deckers to be operated by the corporation.
A severe frost over the winter of 1979/80 immobilised a significant part of the fleet, necessitating the hire of several low-height Northern Counties-bodied Daimler Fleetlines from Southend Corporation. Whilst Southend's livery was not dissimilar to Darlington's, the external and internal advertising provided a distinctly surreal experience.
This fictional image depicts a 'Teesside' style Fleetline (broadly similar to those hired from Southend) in full Darlington Corporation livery. In reality Darlington did buy Fleetlines but with Roe single-deck bodies (25-May10).
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Tags: Darlington Corporation Transport Daimler Fleetline Northern Counties
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Darlington bought Guy Arabs – single and double-deck – to replace its trolleybus system between 1951 and 1957. Like the trolleybuses they replaced, the 22 single-deck Arab IIIs had centre entrances, which was to become a distinctive feature of the Darlington fleet for many years. The final Arab III lasted into the early 1970s as a welfare bus and, I believe, it is this bus that survives in the care of the North East Bus Preservation Trust (12-Nov-23).
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Tags: Guy Arab III Roe Darlington Corporation Transport PHN 699
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Darlington bought an eclectic collection of rear and underfloor-engined single deckers, including Daimler Roadliners and Fleetlines, Seddon Pennine RUs, Leyland Leopards, Dennis Dominators and Ward Dalesmen. The rear-engined Leyland Panther would not have looked out of place and perhaps Darlington would have made it work as it did with the ill-starred Daimler Roadliner. The livery style is non-standard but suits the Marshall Camair body well. Darlington specified the later Camair 80 body on Dennis Dominator chassis, the first of which were delivered in 1980 (25-May-10).
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Tags: Darlington Corporation Transport Leyland Panther Marshall Camair
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